Frank Mills

Canadian-born composer and pianist Frank Mills achieved modest American success in 1972 through the single "Love Me, Love Me Love." Broader recognition arrived only with the 1979 emergence of "Music Box Dancer," after which his profile rose sharply before fading, returning him to performances within Canada.

Following musical studies in Montreal, Mills entered the Bells late in the 1960s. Although that ensemble featured some of his material, he departed in 1972 to launch a solo path. His first independent release, "Love Me, Love Me Love," appeared the same year and registered strongly in Canada while reaching number 46 in the United States. Later Canadian singles produced only marginal results, eroding his audience until he lost his recording contract by 1974.

Mills financed the mid-1970s recording of Music Box Dancer himself. In 1979 a Polydor Records executive encountered the album and, judging the title track commercially promising, convinced the label to issue it as a single. "Music Box Dancer" then climbed to number three on American charts, prompting a re-release of the full album that reached number 21.

Prelude to Romance arrived in the United States during 1981 and registered modest sales, yet proved insufficient to retain his American contract; thereafter Mills retained only Canadian label support. He continued releasing material into the 1990s, issuing more than ten albums across his career.